motor, Italian plastics, German co n trols , and a J a p a nese ca rb u re to r,
Wil kes claims the ATK to be a true
America n product.
"ATK motorcycles hav e been certified by the federal govern men t as an
Ameri can produ ct," sa ys Wilk es.
"Over 65% o r th e motorcycle's cornponenrs a re m ade in America, and we
plan to in crease that figure with eac h
coming ye ."
ar
Resear ch a nd development or new
ideas and technologica l ad vances plays
an im portant rol e at ATK. Full factory
teams ar e rield ed in motocross , hare
scr ambles and desert co m pe titio n,
wh ere new ideas a re constantly being
tested under raci ng co nditio ns .
All u pda tes and improvem ents made
th rou g ho u t th e year a re immediatel y
introduced o n the assem bly line and
made available to owners or ear lier
models. "Our str ength is that we are
so close to the American marketplace ,
a nd we can adapt to the needs and
desires o r th e American rider," says
Wilk es. "Si nce we do not rely o n a mass
pr oduction run, we ca n make ch a nges
and improvements throughou t th e
year. All or these updates ar e a vai la ble
to our customers at our cost, so it is
not uncommon to see a 1988 model
b rough t up to 1990 standards."
" My goal is to continue to pr oduce
a truly American -mad e mot or cycle and
offer an alte rn a tive to the dirt bik e
enthusiast. " says Wilkes. " America has
the largest dirt bike market in th e
world, a nd th ere's no reason why we
shouldn 't manufacture o ne ourselvesl
I don 't pl an to put th e b ig Iour
(Japanese manufacturers) o u t of bu siness, bu t I want to take a permanent
spot in th e m otorc ycl e industry .
Everybod y seems to think tha t we'll go
bankrupt tom orrow !"
With nearl y 200 deal ers throughout
th e Uni ted States, Europe, a nd J apan,
th e fu tur e looks b rig h t fo r th e you ng
co mpany. It a ppea rs as ir ATK has
round its nich e and will co ntin ue to
be a force in the o ff-road ma rk et as
lon g as th ere exists. a dem and for a
compet iti ve yet unique motorcycle,
one that's m ad e in th e U. S.A.
£1'1
A dynamometer (above) is used to test
each new modification before it is
incorporated in to production machinery , (Righ t) Various wheels and frames
ready for assembly. ATK's frames are
built in America, while KTM supplies
th e wh eels. (Below) ATK maintains a
complete parts department, and fills
all parts orders within 24 hours.
.r
